Chapter 82 Lennox
LENNOX
Kara fought at my side as we continued to slay the guards surrounding Adreona. With each guard we killed, Adreona’s panic rose. I could see it on her features.
Her eyes were constantly darting around, trying to find a way out. But I wouldn’t let her.
She wouldn’t get away this time. Adreona would die today.
We had her surrounded; our soldiers were pressing in closer and closer, overwhelming the remaining forces that joined her. Nico and the wolves were ripping the Dhampirs limb from limb around us.
“Kara, care to help me with a little magic to take care of the rest of these guards?”
“Always.” Her sword sliced through another soldier. They screamed, her sword falling to the ground as Kara finished them off. “What did you have in mind?”
“I need you to soak them; I’ll do the rest.” I threw my elbow back, the sound of bones crunching filled my ears as I connected with a male’s nose.
Served him right for trying to sneak up on me.
“On it.” I could taste Kara’s magic in the air as she threw out her water magic. A massive cresting wave appeared in the clearing. The guards didn’t have time to run before the wave crashed over them.
I drew my own magic to my fingertips, my body warming from the inside out as my magic churned.
Water dripped off the soldier’s hair as they sputtered, scrambling to stand and run, wiping water from their eyes as they ran away, away from me.
Rumors of me had spread.
I thrust out my magic. The ground beneath the soldiers froze, sending them slipping and sliding, their feet coming out from under them as they continued their attempt to escape. I closed my fists.
The scene before us went still, the soldiers suspended in frozen terror as Adreona cowered behind them.
She rose to her feet, attempting to wipe the mud from her red leathers. “Why not me too?”
“Unlike them, I want to feel your death.”
Adreona’s eyes widened, but she didn’t retreat. Her hand flexing at her side was the only warning I got before she sent a dagger of ice flying toward me. I ducked, avoiding the ice blade.
But she didn’t stop.
There was a determination to her features as she continued to fling her ice daggers toward me.
I blocked them with my sword, the ice cracking against the steel as I continued to block them, ducking and swooping around her assault. I winced as one slid through the side of my arm, blood pooling at the surface of the cut.
“Bitch.” I summoned flames to my fingertips, manipulating them until I had a shield of fire. I rose, shielding my body with the flames.
Adreona’s blades continued to come, they sizzled as they met the shield and melted to the ground.
I sent my own blades toward her, mine made of fire.
She shrieked at the first one barreled toward her.
She summoned her own shield of water as my flames continued to assault her.
I hated this, fighting with magic. Trading blows. This could go on forever until one of us ran out of magic.
A plan formed in my mind. I took a step toward her, my shield disintegrating as I removed my sword from its sheath. My magic wrapped around the steel, intertwining with the weapon, joining as one.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Adreona mocked. “Is your magic used up already?” She tilted her head to the side. “Guess you shouldn’t have used so much of it so fast.”
“I don’t need magic.” I tilted Minerva back and forth, letting the sun reflect off the blade, revealing the gold swirls of magic that simmered along the steel. I’d only ever needed my blade, my magic was an added bonus.
My father had trained me well to ensure it.
Magic could come and go.
Skill was forever.
I gave her a cool smile. “Give me what you’ve got.”
Her magic whipped out so quickly I didn’t have time to fully block it.
A scream pried from my throat as her magic crackled over my skin. It felt like millions of tiny razors prickling along my skin. I grit my teeth and raised my sword as another wave of magic came spearing toward me.
But I wasn’t fast enough.
I fell to my knees, Minerva falling into the dirt beside me as I convulsed from the force of Adreona’s magic. I closed my hands into fists, summoning my own magic to ward off hers. It rose to the surface, pushing out the unwanted magic that threatened to consume me.
I fell backward as a blade of ice made its way toward my face, falling with my back to the ground with a thud as I narrowly avoided the strike.
I resisted the instinct to get up as she approached.
I stayed motionless on the ground as her footsteps came closer. My magic pressed against my skin to the point of pain.
“You underestimated me once again, Lennox Adair, and this time it will be your death.”
Kara’s scream pierced the air as Adreona’s magic came barreling toward my chest.
“LENNOX!”
I reached for Minerva and the other blade at my back, crossing them in front of me to meet Adreona’s burst of magic.
Adreona’s magic crashed against my blades, I clenched my jaw against the force of the blow pushing against the blades, my arms trembling as I held strong.
“No, you, underestimated me, once again.”
I rose to stand, keeping the blades fixed in front of me as Adreona continued to thrust her magic toward me.
My arms trembled and sweat slicked down the back of my neck from the heat of the magic.
I tipped the blades toward Adreona a fraction of an inch.
“It will be your death.”
I thrust the swords toward her with a scream, forcing her magic back to her.
Her scream echoed in my ears as the force of her magic rumbled through her body, sizzling her veins, her blood boiling from the inside out—I could see it in her veins.
Adreona’s body crumpled to the ground, her body convulsing.
She flung out a hand, but nothing came out.
Her magic was wasted, not a drop remained.
I fell to my knees, pinning her arms under my legs as I pressed my sword to her throat—for the first time since I’d met her, I saw true fear in her eyes.
I liked seeing fear on her.
“Tell me one last thing—was it all worth it? Was all this bloodshed worth it?”
Her throat bobbed, but she remained silent.
“Answer me.” I pressed the blade in—a drop of blood pooling under the cut, dripping down her pale neck.
“You say you did this for your partner—would she be proud of what you’ve done? All the devastation you’ve caused? The lives you’ve ruined? The lives you’ve taken? All this—all this to lose in the end.”
“It all started innocently.” She thrashed beneath me, but I dug my knees in deeper.
“But it didn’t end that way,” I cut her off, I didn’t want to hear her pathetic excuses—I changed my mind.
“You’re done destroying lives. I, High Queen Lennox Adair, sentence you to death.”
I sliced my blade across her neck like I had imagined doing so many times before.
Blood spurted from her lips, her eyes going wide and glassy as she gasped her final breaths, before falling silent, her head lolling to the side.
My chest rose and fell; my body numb.
I pressed my fingers to her neck.
I needed to feel it for myself. Feel that she was actually dead.
Her skin was already cool under my fingertips, now sticky with blood.
Her pulse didn’t flutter under my fingers. I was met with utter stillness. She was dead. Adreona was dead.
But where were Keziq and Luka? Had he managed to kill her? Had she stayed dead? I brushed my thumb over my mating mark as I rose, eyes scanning the forest as I sheathed my extra sword.
I took off in the direction he had followed Keziq.
There he was, running toward me. “Keziq?” I asked without missing a beat.
“She’s dead.” He looked over his shoulder at the ashes smoldering on the forest ground. “Really dead.” He met my gaze again. “Adreona?”
“Dead,” I breathed. Dead, they were both dead.
I looked up at the sky, tears clouding my vision as the sun shone down on my face.
“I did it,” I whispered. A tear slipped down my cheek as a smile broke out on my face.
“We did it.” A sob broke free from my throat—this feeling—I had never felt such relief. Every burden I had been holding on to these months—for years, felt like it had been washed away.
“Lennox.” I finally turned toward Luka, blinking back tears. His face searched mine, his brows pinching together as he scanned for signs of injury.
“We did it.”
A smile broke out on his lips,.“We did it.”
He caught me as I leaped into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he swung me around, cheerful sounds erupting from both of us.
“You were so fucking badass.”
“I’m sure you were too.” I pressed my lips against his. “It’s hot when you shed blood for me.”
He groaned. “Don’t fucking say that here, we can’t fuck on a battlefield, Lennox.”
“I didn’t say anything about fucking!”
“But when you say things like that it makes me want to fuck you.”
I slapped his chest playfully. “Well guess what?”
“What?”
“Now we have all the time in the world, we have our entire lives in front of us.”
“Lennox.” Kara came barreling toward us, her hair blowing behind her as she leapt over the bodies littering the ground.
“Lennox!”
I crashed into my sister with such force it almost knocked the air out of me.
“Kara.” Emotion clogged in my throat as I embraced my sister.
“You did it, Len, you did it. I always knew you would.” I blinked back tears. It had all started with needing to protect her—to keep her safe. And I had done it. Kara—everyone I loved—would be safe now.
Adreona was dead.
“If I didn’t have you at my side—I could have never done it without you.”
“Yes, you could have. You’re Lennox Adair, after all.” She squeezed my shoulders. “But I’ll accept the compliment.”
“L!” I looked over Kara’s shoulder to find Nico making his way to us, Declan and Luce at his sides.
A wide smile lit up the wolf’s face. “You did it, L!” He lifted me up and set me on his shoulder, his arm banding around my legs to hold me still as I braced a hand on his other shoulder. “All hail High Queen Lennox Adair!” His voice rang through the air.
“All hail High Queen Lennox Adair!” I looked around as shouts rang out from around the forest, soldiers who still lingered appearing from between the trees.
“Stop it, put me down right now, Nico!” My words lacked conviction as I bit back a smile.
He obliged, setting me back on two feet, but not before smacking a kiss on my cheek.
I couldn’t hold back my smile any longer.
“You did it, Lennox.” Declan’s strong hand landed on my shoulder. There was a look on his face I had never seen before. His entire face had softened and there was the biggest smile I had ever seen working its way across it.
I liked this look on him. “Thanks, Dec.” He let out an oomph as I pulled him in for a hug.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I let him go and looked at everyone.
“Without all of you. We would not be standing here victorious if it weren’t for all of you.
” Tears welled in my eyes. “I love you all.” Luka pulled me to his side, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“I love you all until the stars turn to dust.